Ok on the weekend I tried a new experience -- grocery shopping online!
I did my grocery shopping through the web site of the supermarket chain, and they'll deliver the goods tonight. Delivery is $4.95, and I figure that I'll save time and also avoid the unnecessary purchases when browsing down the supermarket aisles.
Anyone done their groceries online before? Opinions? I'm still undecided whether it'll be a long term thing, but just thought I'd give it a go!
We do quite a bit of online shopping because both my wife and I work. It started off that only organic produce was delivered, but now the company has expanded to include all groceries. Every couple of weeks we get a delivery - I always add things like dishwasher and laundry soap to the order because they are bulky to carry. Mostly we shop in our neighborhood without a car - so might as well have someone deliver the heavy stuff.
There are many companies that do that in Vancouver - we tried out a couple before we found one we liked - they don't (openly) charge for delivery - probably just build it into the price.
When it first came out, delivery prices were something ridiculous like $10-15... so I dismissed it as something that would be handy for say disabled persons bit not economical for lazy people like us.
But recently they dropped it to $4.95. Perhaps they'll remove it completely once the concept becomes a bit more mainstream or takes off...
how are the prices compared to a supermarket ?
i dont think anyone in perth would bother setting up such a business
The prices are the same as if you were to walk into the store (I believe).
This one is being offered by Coles (
www.colesonline.com.au) do they have Coles over there? It's the biggest chain in Victoria....
shuttertalk Wrote:Ok on the weekend I tried a new experience -- grocery shopping online!
Anyone done their groceries online before? Opinions? I'm still undecided whether it'll be a long term thing, but just thought I'd give it a go!
We've been using an online Grocery service (UK) for about 4-5 yrs now and it's always been brilliant. Very rarely sent substitutions, rarely forget anything and is always very prompt with refunds if anything's missing.
We have a delivery about once every 7-10 days - loads of excellent fresh fruit, also very good fresh meat as well as stuff for the freezer. Delivery is cheaper on Tues/Weds - more on Sat/Sun ranging from £3-99 to £6-99. Can't measure the convenience though.
We also find we spend a lot less because we think more carefully about what we're buying, instead of being tempted to grab-grab-grab from the shelves just because we're tempted at that precise moment.
We use 'Tesco' in the UK. Their online grocery service is big over here - very popular and growing year by year. They have a special fleet of vans - prompt and reliable service, also 'club card' evouchers - so we also get discounts and special offers - as you would going to the store on foot.
That fruit picci I posted in the showcase gallery was shot the day after a Tesco delivery - it's their fruit, better than any i could get anywhere locally too!
Polly
Peter, if they don't have it in Perth, you could ask them to ship by Australian Air Express, overnight!
hardy harhar.
Or you could get Australia post to do it;
or ship from overseas, and get your vegetables a few weeks later
Ok, our order came today at 8.30 pm (pretty cool - you specify a delivery window, and they don't charge deliver if they're late).
I'm pretty happy with it - everything came just as if I had bought it from the supermarket, only I didn't have to push a trolley around, beat the checkout queues and wrestle all the bags in and out of my car. 3 items were out of stock -- they substituted one, but I'll have to make do without hand soap and baby bok choi this week.
Oh well, I'll just have to do without my vitamins and minerals and have really dirty hands.
Polly Wrote:We also find we spend a lot less because we think more carefully about what we're buying, instead of being tempted to grab-grab-grab from the shelves just because we're tempted at that precise moment.
Hey Pol, my thoughts exactly - couldn't agree more. I guess you don't have to deal with the in-store advertising and special displays they set up to entice you.
Haha, they've got the specials page online though... must resist! Good thing their technology online isn't as advanced as Amazon or Google yet.... imagine:
"You just bought some wheat bran. Would you like low fat milk and strawberries to go with it?"
shuttertalk Wrote:Polly Wrote:We also find we spend a lot less because we think more carefully about what we're buying, instead of being tempted to grab-grab-grab from the shelves just because we're tempted at that precise moment.
Hey Pol, my thoughts exactly - couldn't agree more. I guess you don't have to deal with the in-store advertising and special displays they set up to entice you.
Haha, they've got the specials page online though... must resist! Good thing their technology online isn't as advanced as Amazon or Google yet.... imagine:
"You just bought some wheat bran. Would you like low fat milk and strawberries to go with it?"
When I first used tesco.com, I think it was just before Christmas 2000, everyone laughed and made remarks such as "they'll probably send you all the dented tins and rubbish nobody wants" - not so! In fact - the fresh fruit, veg and meat was better than the stuff in the nearest supermarket. Also - the better stuff gets grabbed more quickly in the shop so you're often left with the grot until the shelves are refilled. The online stuff comes from a warehouse about 15-20 miles away, never gets into the shop, never gets poked, prodded and touched by other shoppers AND it always has a longer display and sell-by date than the stuff in the high street store.
Online grocery shopping suddenly started to take off very rapidly over here, maybe a couple of years ago. Delivery slots start at 9-00 am right through to 10-00pm at night and you can also have the delivery to your place of work or another second address - so it's very convenient for everyone.
We reckon we spend about half of what we spent before we got into the swing of the online service. We also eat better, more healthy diet and no longer have the hassle of Supermarket trolley battle + all that packing and unpacking through the checkout, and again when you get home.
Chances are it'll eventually take off over there too as more and more people discover how easy and reliable it can be. We have other large chain supermarkets - but Tesco got in first and they also got it right -- so they won over the biggest share of the customers.
Pol
shuttertalk Wrote:3 items were out of stock -- they substituted one, but I'll have to make do without hand soap and baby bok choi this week.
How does a supermarket run out of hand soap?!?!! Bok choi I can understand (I guess) but hand soap? Darn, I've got a hankerin' for stir fry now.... (from the Bok Choi not the handsoap!)
uuhmmm more time in shuttertalk!!!
cya
I was going to do my groceries online again, but said to myself -- "aah I can't be bothered tonight... I'll just go pick up some items from the supermarket tomorrow."
Now I'm confused.. :/
You don't get the choose the nice looking vegetable
Just like lens, you don't get to inspect it first if you buy it online, and what if they send you a vegetable?
haha
We have a shopping list program, my husband did it, I think more than one year ago. It is genial... And it is very easy anyone could do it in excel...
We have a list of the things and their amounts we need within a month. (Well we do it per month but could be withing a fortnight as well) Every weekend after the payday, we take the list of the items you have already printed and I can use every month... and go to my storeroom... or kitchen or wherever I store my groceries and just go through my list writing the amounts I have. I go to the computer, write those amounts in the programm or excel file and with a click I have my shopping list. We made it even more sophisticated, because we have the prices of the items, so you know beforehand how much you will spend in your groceries.
We buy the flesh with a butcher and we do the same. You have a lot of good things with this program, first you buy what you really need, second you just go shopping once a month, third you can cook everything you want without worrying if you have this or that ingredient, you have more control over the money you spend, somehow. It takes around two months to get the proper amounts I have to say and the prices of everything you use.
The only minor problem is that the shopping day is hell of work. We go shopping first at the butchers and go back home with the flesh and drinks... beer meanly... then go the the other supermarket an overload your car with the shoppings... you arrive tired and then store everything and prepare the meat to go the the freezer.. It is a hard day, but I really like to have it like this, instead of going shopping every weekend...
We stopped doing it I think when we had some holliday and we haven't done it for few months now but we did it for nearly a year and it was very good... I know sometimes the place to store the things is not available... and that would be another minor problem to solve
Polly Wrote:[
We also find we spend a lot less because we think more carefully about what we're buying, instead of being tempted to grab-grab-grab from the shelves just because we're tempted at that precise moment.
Hi Polly,
Didn't spot this reply of yours 'til today. We use Tesco.com too and I do agree they're very good, but I find just the opposite to you. When I go to a supermarket to do a "physical" shop I always go armed with a list of exactly what I want, go directly to said items and get out again as fast as I can because I absolutely loathe the places. In contrast, shopping from the comfort of home means I feel pretty stress-free so I browse the virtual aisles and end up spending a lot MORE than I otherwise would!
--NN
Hi NN. Good seeing your post. It's been a looooong time.
Irma has said it all already - almost.
We place online orders once in a while at a specialist for Mexican food and ingredients. We don't get these things anywhere else, at least not without an hour of driving. Works quite well for us..
On the other hand, going shopping is a social event when you live in a village. I came to like it, really. For me, it's quite funny. I don't mind much the queues, and a trolley makes for an excellent toy.